Crisp crusts crackle, crunch and crumble.
Five of the six words start with CR. Swap the R for an L and crown becomes clown.
👅 Sounds to Practise
- K /k/, as in crisp, crusts, crackle, crunch and crumble. The back of your tongue touches the roof of your mouth, then lets go.
- R /r/, right after the K. Pull the tongue back and up, with the lips a little rounded. Do not touch the roof of your mouth.
Quick test: say crown, then clown. For crown the tongue stays back. For clown the tongue tip touches the ridge.
🐢 Start Slow
Say each chunk slowly.
Crisp crusts
crackle,
crunch and crumble.
🚶 Normal Speed
Say it at a natural pace, with the stressed syllables in capitals:
CRISP CRUSTS CRACKle, CRUNCH and CRUMble.
🚀 Tongue-Twister Mode
Say it three times in a row, as fast as you can:
Crisp crusts crackle, crunch and crumble.
If it falls apart, that is normal. Slow down and try again. Keep the tongue back for the R, and do not let it tap.
🤯 Why Is This So Difficult?
The tongue starts at the back for K, and then has to curl for R, again and again.
crisp / crusts / crackle / crunch / crumble
- K is made at the back of the mouth, and R is made with the tongue pulled back. They are close, but the move still takes effort.
- Crisp crusts ends one word with P and starts the next with K, which makes a tricky join.
- Crusts ends with three sounds in a row: S, T, S.
👀 Words to Notice
These pairs change when R becomes L:
- crown / clown
- crew / clue
- crash / clash
- crowd / cloud
Say each pair slowly. The tongue tip stays down for R and touches the ridge for L.
🏆 OddLingo Challenge
- Round 1: say it slowly, one chunk at a time, with no mistakes.
- Round 2: say the whole twister once at normal speed.
- Round 3: say it three times fast without stopping.
Bonus round: if you survived all three, try this one:
A crowd of clowns crossed the crisp, cracked crust.
🔗 Related Practice
- Rory's Little Rabbit: R against L in a short twister.
- Six Sleek Swans: another twister with a tricky cluster.